So in the middle of a cruise ship dream, I subtlety realized I was dreaming and said the two magic words. Now, at this point, I was like ok wtf I'm in a dream but I'm not fully lucid. I couldn't just take off or demand clarity. So I said well maybe if I shout I'm dreaming, BUT for some reason I was worried I would shout it outloud in my sleep and was worried I would make a fool of myself. So I tried to remember where I was or fell asleep at and not being able to I decided it wasn't a good idea lol.

So I literally followed the dream while awake in boringness before I woke up, this was my last dream out of 2 or 3.

You were in fact lucid. Being aware you are dreaming but not being able to control it is still lucidity. To be able to control things you must truly believe that this is all in your head and you can do whatever you desire. Your consciousness will try to tell you flying or changing the landscape is impossible and hinder you, but you just need to believe you can do these things in a dream.